Potpourri of the Past

Jack Story

Special to the Village News

If you happen to be one of those people who didn't buy into and follow computer technology over the years, at this point in your life you are probably not able to enter into conversations on several subjects because you don't have a tech vocabulary.

Words like font, megabyte, eBay and e-mail weren't around when I was growing up. On the other hand there are lots of words that were used every day back then that are never heard of any more.

I remember my mother scolding me for jumping on the davenport. I remember I thought she was saying dam port but I figured that out eventually. The davenport was our living room couch. The name was probably derived from a popular manufacturer of living room couches in early furniture.

You seldom if ever hear someone say anything about opening a turtle back anymore. Most pre-WWII autos had rear carriage space that looked kind of like the back of a turtle.

What I miss most of all though is haywire. The expression "everything has gone haywire" used to be a popular one and with great meaning. I don't believe that wire is even used to bundle up hay anymore but haywire was the most popular mending material there was around our farm.

No matter what kind of tool a farmer may be using during his working hours, if it broke it could be patched up with a piece of baling wire until there was a chance to repair it properly. Sometimes the repair would be so good that it just remained with the haywire repair and the good thing was a piece always seemed to be nearby. My father was an absolute artist at repairing anything broken using haywire.

My ancestors moved here from the Midwest so I think that my vocabulary is probably influenced by that mixed in with lazy west coast lingo. We who were raised here slur and shortcut our conversations and are not easily understood. Example jeat? no djoo? twirly! If you can't figure this out give me a call.

Meals in my family were breakfast, lunch and supper. Dinner was used for maybe a late midday meal on Sunday or a holiday.

I think it is fun to try and guess where someone grew up when you hear them speak for the first time. Folks from the east coast certainly sound different than those from the south. I spent a couple of years in the U.S. Army (remember the draft)? That was an experience of real potpourri of mixed lingos.

My father-in-law who spent his final seven years living here with me and Shirley and passed at the age of 96 always referred to starting a car as cranking. He would say, "I am going to crank the car now," when really he would just turn the key or push a button like everyone else.

I am old enough to remember when cars were started with a hand crank but no more. I guess in his mind cranking just meant the act of getting a cars engine started.

I don't know how far back you have to go to talk about historical stuff but anybody can do it if they choose to. Maybe reading this will get you started.

Shirley and I are docents at the Historical Society Museum every third Thursday of the month from 1 to 4 o'clock. That is on Rocky Crest Road. Stop by and I will show you around and we can chat.

hiSTORYcally Yours, Jack